Murder Capital of America: The Big Easy

New Orleans proudly regains its old reputation, post-Katrina, as a bad bad city filled with bad bad men, killing each other, mostly black. Front page of the NYT. A lone pastor has had "ENOUGH" as evidenced by the awesome campaign he is mounting in an attempt to regain some neighborhoods and souls.

This is just a result of Nagin's dangerous policy allowing residents to move back to empty neighborhoods with little or not social service - a lower ninth with almost no police force, no running water and a rising budget at city hall all mean that these neighborhoods will grow feral, while consolidation - into largely unoccupied neighborhoods where the city could offer full police protection and services - becomes a distant memory and unreachable goal. Now, the real horror begins as the city struggles against impossible odds.

Also, apparenty the reporter couldn't get anyone to talk to him either - notice the explanations and quotes as to why he couldn't get anyone on the record. (NYT)

A panel of people (Levees.org, basically) want to create a Hurricane Katrina comission much like the 9/11 comission - so much like it that they want to call it the 8/29 comission. Hyperbole weakens your case, kiddos. (WP)

Color For Change has an upbeat message today:

Last week, Congressman Bennie Thompson put the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project (GCCW) on the map in Congress. In his first speech as Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Thompson mentioned that a civic works project would be a great way to rebuild the Gulf.
Can you take a moment to let Bennie Thompson know we appreciate his support for the program? It's a great way to solidify his support as an ally and help the GCCW gain momentum in Congress. It takes just a minute:

Rep. Bennie Thompson, Washington, D.C. office: (202) 225-5876

The other night my sister, a New Orleans native for more than ten years, said that the city was this violent before, in the eighties - so for many there now, this is just a return to that, and is being taken in stride. We're talking 181 murders so far, since Katrina, in a city half the size. HALF THE SIZE! This is insane. We're abandoning the Dirty to die a slow death. I can't stand it.